Crystal Cove State Park

We've stayed her a few times, it's easy and close for us,and a very clean campground with amazing views as others have stated. I'm surprised anyone has gotten in before 3pm- they're usually very strict on the check in time. Also- please note there are no campfires here. You CAN bring a portable propane fire pit, and you'll see a lot of folks with those. No dogs in the canyon or on the beach. I agree with another reviewer- the shops/restaurants are a long walk- no sidewalk on the highway so I'm assuming folks have walked along the beach? Good news- in a quick drive (maybe 1.5 miles north) there's Trader Joes, Starbucks, shops and restaurants. Laguna Beach is to the south.

What a place! We loved our stay here.

We arrived at 2 pm, but the ranger checked us in and told us to arrive after 3 pm next time. I don't understand why the have a firm 3 pm check-in time, but it was kind of him to let us through. We had reserved a site with water and electric hookups, and everything worked just fine. The dump station has three separate stations in a line, so that probably helps on busy weekends at check out.

The campground consists of three loops over six tiers, so each site has a clear ocean view. So pretty. The sunsets are incredible. The restrooms are like new with flush toilets and running water, but they don't have soap or paper towels/hand dryers. No biggie. The showers take tokens. Tokens are 50 cents and worth 2 minutes of hot water. There's a kiosk outside each shower building. Buy only what you need as the park does not buy back unused tokens.

The beach here is beautiful and peaceful in January. Beach access from the campground is at the bottom of a steep hill. You can drive and park down there and then walk to the beach via a tunnel under PCH.

The bluff trail is a nice way to explore the entire park. You can get right on it from the parking lot at Reef Point (camping pass gives you free parking at all the other parking areas in the park) and take it to the Historic District and Pelican Point. I believe the entire length of the beach is only three miles. It's a paved trail so biking it would be even more efficient. The Historic District is a cool place to visit. They have some neat exhibits that explain the history of Crystal Cove and how it's evolved over the years. The Beachcomber Cafe is down there, and the Shake Shack is right along the Bluff Trail.

There are a few great places to check out tidal pools. We went to Pelican Point close to low tide and found lots of anemone and hermit crabs between the rocks. The kids loved it even though the air and water temps were quite cold. There are also many hiking and mountain biking trails behind the campground, but sadly those were closed due to recent rains. We really wanted to explore those, but that just gives us another reason to go back.

We did have one rainy day while we were there, so we took a field trip up to Long Beach and toured the Queen Mary. The audio tour was interesting, but the guided tour was fabulous.

On our last day, we took our time getting out of there because we really wanted to enjoy it as long as we could. Check out isn't until 1 pm. This is probably one of the best places we've stayed so far, but it's hard to beat ocean views.

We loved staying here but I wanted to add that the walk from the campground to the beach is pretty darn steep and was difficult with little kids plus stroller. You can drive down and park close to the beach entrance, but we didn't want to move, unplug, etc.

One of the prettiest beaches I've seen in California. Gorgeous on the water and the views at camp are amazing. Camp sites are tiered/staggered so everyone has a great view of the ocean, not the back of another RV.

To note:
• We were told there was no hook-ups only to pull into power and water?!
• NO early check in, but you can go to Reef Point close by to wait. Some fun tide pools there.
• Seagulls are clever and will raid your bags on the beach. Hide all food and shiny objects. Our little boy loved being in charge of scaring them away ;)
• Others mentioned walking to Trader Joes or Laguna. I'm not sure I would attempt that.

There is a nice bicycle path with great views on the ocean side of highway 1. From the campground travel down the hill to highway 1 and ride north in the bicycle lane to Reef Point Drive. Cross highway 1 with the traffic light and find the bike path. The path continues several miles north. A stop at the state park historic area along the path is very interesting and worthwhile. The path is referred to as Crystal Cove Trail on Google maps. For the return trip to the campground, it is probably best to cross again at Reef Point Drive and ride against the traffic the short distance to the campground entrance road. Although there is a traffic light, there is no crosswalk across highway 1 at the campground entrance road. The non-hookup campsites are the closest to highway 1 and the ocean and consequently have the best views but the most highway noise.

We love this park. We love that we got 50% off camping with the SWEETBEACHDEAL promo code (good through 3/18/16). Its quiet, beautiful, and perfectly located a stones throw from Laguna Beach. But you don't have to drive anywhere for fun activities.....you can walk up the PCH for groceries at Trader Joe's, lunch at Bear Flag Fish Co. (get the poke and fish tacos), beach access, and shopping. You can hike or bike up the hills behind the park for a great workout and fantastic views (but alas, you have to leave your sad dog behind because they aren't allowed on any backcountry trails). You can walk down through the park's awesome day use area and access the beach/ocean through a tunnel under the PCH. You can safely walk the well-lit perimeter trail at night and listen to the ocean waves crash down below.
If you feel like driving, take fido up to the Huntington Dog Beach for off-leash beach playtime. Go to The Waffle Affair near Balboa Island for the most delicious savory waffles you will ever eat, then walk the island in a mere attempt to burn the 1000 calories you just ate. Or do more driving down to Laguna Beach and hang out there for a while.
You can literally go any direction from here and have a good time. Or you can sit in your camp chairs on your site and gaze at the ocean. You can't go wrong!

We arrived early and found ourselves redirected to a parking lot across the street to wait for the late checkin at 3pm (not a minute before and absolutely NO exceptions). Of course a beach walk while we waited was great!

The pass for the campground is also good at all the associated parking lots along the Crystal Cove area - a nice bonus for going to explore other parts of the beach.

We loved our site, the location and the view. California is great as long as you don't have to drive. With quick access to Trader Joe's, Starbucks and everything Laguna Beach has to offer - what more do you need? We could hear the kids at the school during the day and traffic on PCH. Early mornings the sound of the surf echo through the area - very relaxing.

Sadly no fires and the nights on the bluff over the ocean cool down as soon as the sun sets. We also invited friends over to cocktails and found it difficult to get them into the park and/or to find parking for them. We actually had 1 car locked into the school below - whoops!

While I have lived in the Orange County area my entire life, the beauty of Crystal Cove amazes me every time I visit. The campground at Crystal Cove sits on a bluff overlooking Crystal Cove. Each site provides a excellent view of the ocean and Catalina Island (when clear). Sites closer to the beach (51-60) provide views of the beach on the other side of Pacific Coast Highway. Sites 31-60 do not have hookups but are closer to the water. No camp fires or charcoal grills are allowed.

From the campground you can walk to the beach its just down a hill and through a tunnel that leads under PCH. The Crystal Cove historic beach cottages are within walking distance as is the Shake Shack (great shakes and fries).

If you enjoy water activities the water here is truly crystal clear. I enjoy paddle-boarding and when conditions are right you can see 20-30 foot beneath the surface. Kayaks and Paddle Boards can be launched from the beach.

The campground sits right next to a school, so if your staying while school is in session you may hear school bells and kids at recess during the day. The surrounding area can be busy so be prepared for the fact that you are staying in the middle of a busy coastal community.

The main reason to visit this campground is to take in the amazing costal views. Each morning feels like waking up on a cruise ship.

I've been coming to Crystal Cove (day use only) for the last decade - and was so excited to camp here...and while the location is gorgeous, and the ranger gave us the "best site in the house" with an incredible sweeping view of the Pacific...we woke after a short night of sleep to thousands and thousands (not kidding) of ants swarming the interior of the Airstream. Sadly, we had to book it out of there at 7:00am to ensure more ants wouldn't come in - and spent hours killing them at a nearby shopping center. It could just be the time of year (it's October now), but our experience here just wasn't good, even if it started out well. No view is worth having to deal with an ant infestation.

I can't say enough good things about this state park. It is such a gorgeous setting right on the coast. There are 57 sites that are on a bluff overlooking the ocean. There isn't a bad spot as the campground is tiered so everyone gets a view. The sites higher up have electricity and water hookups,the ones nearer the edge of the bluff are dry (and are ~$20 cheaper).

The campground is quite new so the facilities are modern and clean. There are great back country hiking trails, but the main reason to come here is the ocean and the beach. A short walk down to the day use area and you are on miles and miles of beautiful sandy shoreline. Walk along the beach and you come to Crystal Cove historic district, a set of 30 or so beach cottages that are owned by the state park and are available to rent. There is a cute restaurant and bar there too. Perfect for a sunset cocktail. There is also a Trader Joes,and upmarket shopping and restaurants less than a mile away.

Newport Coast & Laguna Beach is swanky and a bit snooty IMHO,so if you want more of a surfy / SoCal beach scene San Clemente or San Elijo State Park (Encinitas) are better. But they can't beat the perfect setting here.